Smooth progress in Iraq's local elections, voting to stop at 6 pm

Shafaq News/ The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission, Judge Omar Ahmed, confirmed that the election process is smooth in Iraq.

At a press conference, Judge Ahmed stated that voting machines are operational at over 35 stations.

The voting process will continue until 06:00 pm, and the results will be transmitted to the National Office. he explained.

The IHEC's chairman urged all citizens to participate in the elections actively, encouraging them to exercise their right to vote for a "secure future."

Iraqis participated in the first provincial council elections in a decade on Monday, with over 16 million registered voters.

The turnout was lower than the 2021 parliamentary polls, with 22 million eligible voters.

The local elections were delayed due to the war against ISIS—pro-Iranian forces, mainly the Coordination Framework, are expected to dominate local councils, consolidating Shiite alliance power.

The popular Shiite cleric, Muqtada Al-Sadr, boycotted the elections, saying that the results would "reinforce corruption within the political class."

The Shiite alliance members run on multiple lists, planning to rule collectively post-election. In addition, the two influential Sunni leaders, Mohammed Halbousi and Khamis Khanjar, formed a joint alliance in the elections.